Looking for Alibrandi Essay

A good book leaves us thinking with things to say, and Looking for Libidinal Is a good example of one of those books. It captures the exact thoughts of a seventeen year old girl, stressed out from her upcoming HAS exams as well as the problems going on In her social life. Melinda Merchant engages us In the themes of multiculturalism, love, rites of passage and coping with death and encrypts these themes beautifully and expresses them with emotion and thought. One of the biggest themes of Looking for Libidinal is multiculturalism, as Josses trudges to find her personal and cultural identity.At the beginning of the book Josses resents having an Italian background, because at school there is the difficulty and prejudice of being a second generation Australian with an Italian background. She experiences a feeling of being different, as the majority of the students have Anglo- Saxon backgrounds, and have not learned to accept anyone other than â€Å"their kind†. The students tease and make racist comments at her, calling her a ‘new Australian', but Josses Is strong and fights back, but consequently this gets her Into a lot of trouble with the teachers.Although the students at her school are not the only ones, as there are other people who have preconceived ideas about the ‘ethnics', such as Jacob. It begins as Jacob talks about ‘going out with the ethnic girl' and as their argument continues, he goes to say you people should go back to your own country if you're so confused'. At home as well, there is gossip from the Italian society about Josses not being good enough, and her grandmother always telling her that it kills her inside when Josses fights about having her own rights as well, and that the rules and restrictions are stifling to her.Also, the rituals within the family, such as Tomato Day, is resented by Josses at first, but as she mature she begins to see that it is not taking up her free time, but Its an opportunity for her family t o share and tell their stories. Eventually, Josses comes to realize that, even though not everyone In Australia will ever understand a multicultural society, she knows what her place Is and that It matters. â€Å"If someone comes up to me and asks me what nationality I am, I'll look at them and say that I'm Australian with Italian blood rapidly flowing through my veins.I'll say that with pride, because it's pride that I feel. † Love is a major theme that is related to Looking for Libidinal, because it is in this year of Joke's life that she falls in love with Jacob Cote. This decision held an important meaning because this is what made Josses decide between whether she wanted to have an important status and to be considered in the wealthy class, or as Josses describes the beautiful people' (John Barton), or whether she wanted to be seen as the girl who would live her life in the middle-class, Just being normal.Because If she was to choose a relationship with John Barton, this would've left her with a better Image to be accepted for her dream Job as a barrister. Even so, Josses continued to date Jacob, and throughout the book, her feeling continuously become stronger for and Jacob isn't; repeatedly he begins to show strong emotions for his love for her, but Josses feels he is pushing he too hard. In the end, it is the occasion that Josses stands up for herself that they break off the relationship. It breaks her heart, but this teaches Josses to be strong and to stand for herself, and that the future is not going to always be how she wants it to turn out.But that isn't the only relation of love portrayed through the book – despite their disagreements and argues, Josses, Christina ND Katie all love each other. Even thought they shout and, at times, swear at each other, beneath it all they all hold a very close family relationship and know that they are a family. At the beginning of the book, Josses resents her grandmother and hates going to her plac e every afternoon. She argues with her and compels against her with every chance that she gets. Her grandmother, Katie, continues to tell Josses that she and Christina are not good enough and that everything they do breaks her heart.But as the story follows, Josses tries hard to listen, and begins to understand her grandmother. She listens to the stories she tells about her young life in Australia, and as time passes Josses finds out about things that not only change her life, but her relationship with her grandmother as well. The bond grows stronger and by the end of the book, Josses cherishes the relationships she holds with her mother and grandmother, and reflects back to how she once was, but knows now that what she holds with her family is one of the most treasured things in in her life.In looking for Libidinal, rites of passage is a key theme because of how Josses transitions from her immature self into a mature and more open-minded woman. At he beginning of the book, Josephin e is determined to not abide by the rules, yet as she places in more thought and begins to understand more, she realizes that she has only been questioning and opposing school, religion and family, but not thinking about her friend's ideas and moral values.When it came to her friends, she never really gave thought to what she was doing, and this allowed her to be influenced greatly, never standing up for what she thought was right. Once Josephine realized this, she began to have think for herself and started making her own decisions. This is what allowed Josses to stand up to Jacob about having sex with her. By the end of the novel, Josses has realized that there is more to being Just a rebel, as being a reasonable and stable person is not about going against someone rules, but it is about knowing one's self and being able to set your own boundaries.It is this that enables her to accept that a part of life is to know and go along with another's wish, as long as the balance between c onforming and independence is maintained. Death and grieving is another significant issue in Looking for Libidinal. Josses says that she would die if her mother dies, but Jacob, whose mother had died several years earlier, says you don't die. He talks about feeling angry and hurt, but then tells Josses that one day you find yourself remembering something and laughing instead of crying.To Josses, Jacobs description had been so honest and real, and it was then that she realized she had no experience of the death of someone close to her. At the end of the novel, when John Barton commits suicide, Josses is at first in disbelief and hysteria, and then is angry and says she hates John for his weakness. She cries and to accept that he is gone. Josses had reacted to John's death in a predictable way; owing through the emotions of anger, hate, pain, guilt, remembering and eventually acceptance, because to her, whatever had happened had already happened, and she had to move on.In Looking for Libidinal, there are two important comments about suicide. The first was when Joke's father said: â€Å"Living is the challenge, Josses. Not dying. Dying is so easy. Sometimes it only takes ten seconds to die. But living? That can take you eighty years and you do something in that time, whether its giving birth to a baby or being a housewife or a barrister or a soldier. To throw that away at such a young age, to have no hope, that is the biggest tragedy. And the other was by Ivy: â€Å"It wasn't our fault Josses. Not yours or mine. It was always John.But I feel like crying because people will always remember the way he died not the way he lived. † It was because of John's death that Josephine realized that each person has to make their own decisions about living or dying, and that feeling responsible for the lives of other people is only natural, but impossible in the end. In conclusion, Looking for Libidinal was indeed a book that left us with things to say. The way Merchan t conveyed the difficulty of the living standard [for legitimates] only 20 years ago have completely opened our minds and touched our hearts.She has left us to think of how different our Australian society is now, and how multiculturalism might be one of our strongest point to become one united country, and how we have completely accepted that. Not only that, but to describe to us that we must become independent and to stop being conformed to what we want to do, and to think of others but setting our own limits at the same time, to describe this all in one book, I believe that this definitely has to be a book that has influenced us greatly and left us with thoughts in our minds.

Sports Teams Regulating Social Networking

Disputes are arising between new media usage and sports teams/leagues. Many of these disagreements are because of new media outlets such as but not limited to Facebook, Twitter, Blogs, and youTube. The sports teams are trying to regulate the usage because they want to profit from the media. Their profit comes from their own in-house media operation and, as in the case of the NFL, operating their own cable channel. When non-regulated media is available to the public the sports teams risk losing a profit and having negative press. Benjamin Hickman analyzes, in the Old Law, New Technology: The First Amendment’s Application When Sports Teams and Leagues Attempt to Regulate New Media, if the First Amendment can dictate to what extent sports teams may regulate the use of the new media. Across the Pacific in Australia Brett Hutchins and David Rowe examine their countries media crisis between sports teams and media. Reconfiguring Media Sport for the Online World: An Inquiry into â€Å"Sports, News, and Digital Media† comprehensively states that with the growth of technology attitudes towards media usage need to develop with it. Media is being infused into every aspect of our lives, especially entertainment arenas like sports. For a sports team to not allow or restrict media coverage may only be holding the organization back. Allowing other teams, sports, and entertainment outlets to take center stage and the valuable attention of fans and audiences. The younger audiences now want new mediums like blogging. Blogging is popular among sports fans and sports related media. The new wave of communication technology was sudden and Brad Shultz and Mary Lou Sheffer suggests that sports media isn’t ready for the change in Left Behind: Local Television and the Community of Sport. Research Article 1 – Old Law, New Technology: The First Amendment’s Application When Sports Teams and Leagues Attempt to Regulate New Media Benjamin Hickman examines the Fist Amendment’s role to whether sports teams and leagues can regulate the use of new media by fans and the press at sports events. Hickman examines the current Fist Amendment framework explaining the influence of new media on both sides. Hickman first reveals Brian Bennett’s story, a reporter for The Courier-Journal in Louisville. Bennett blogged in real time, in 2007, about a baseball game at the University of Louisville. Bennett was immediately ejected from the press box and his press credential was revoked. â€Å"Reporters covering our championships may blog about the atmosphere, crowd and other details during a game but may not mention anything about the game action. Any reference to game action in a blog or other type of coverage could result in revocation of credentials,† an NCAA official said in a statement to The New York Times. This is an attempt for the sports teams to have control. With the rise of new media their exposure had become exposed. Hickman observes how sports teams feel the need for complete regulation because of the influence that new media has on the press, fans, and the general public. Hickman describes a scenario where fans collaborate together using social networking sites to stage a walk out. This situation would be hard for the sports teams to control if they weren’t able to regulate media usage. This is the risk that sports teams are trying to avoid. By managing all outlets of communication the sports teams are ensuring that they won’t have any bad PR mishaps. Research Article 2 – Reconfiguring Media Sport for the Online World: An Inquiry into â€Å"Sports, News, and Digital Media† The U. S. and Australia are similar in several aspects of media growth. Both Australians and American citizens are browsing websites, social networking, watch online videos, and have a youtube account to name a few. All of these new technologies are becoming increasingly more popular and integral to our everyday life. Brett Hutchins and David Rowe are both University professors who gathered evidence supporting the hypothesis that â€Å"emerging media sport markets are characterized by complex interaction, tense competition, and awkward overlaps between broadcast media and networked digital communications. This situation has disturbed the established media sport order and destabilized pivotal organizing categories, including the definition of â€Å"sports news† (Hutchins). Hutchins and Rowe concluded that the fierce competition between news media outlets, fans, and sports organizations are because of the profit gained when audiences are watching. Sports teams used to not worry about coverage of their game because there was only one source used and available. However, with mobile technology this is becoming increasingly harder. Sports organizations in Australia and the U. S have been trying to adhere by every restriction imaginable so that their profits won’t suffer. In seeking to attract as many users as possible to their sites, sports organizations were accused by media organizations of unfairly restricting the online activities of the news media and journalists and, in the process, attempting to dictate the shape, content, and even definition of news† (Hutchins). Research Article 3 – Left Behind: Local Television and the Community of Sport Brad Shultz and Mary Lou Sheffer explain the technological shift in the sports world through their qualitative and quantitative data. They discovered that local television stations are not engaged in sports blogging and see little value in it. This may be the sign of traditional sports coverage changing and the sports community acting too reluctant to change. â€Å"This resistance to change may be an indication that local sports television is abdicating its traditional role in the community of sport, which has primarily been defined as the provider of local sports news to local sports audiences† (Shultz). The defense against new media changes were apparent in both the qualitative and quantitative data. Their study asked professional journalists associated with a local media outlet in the sports section 15 questions and an open ended question asking their opinion on sports blogging. Results showed that out of 654 television stations currently offering a local sports segment within a newscast, 83 stations were involved in blogging (13%). This would seem to indicate, at least at the current time, that local television stations are not heavily investing in blogging in their sports content† (Shultz). Hickman claims to look at all sides and opens up with a compelling story about a journalist ousted by blogging, however, he defends the sports teams side almost completely, with a resolution of new media will cause dilemmas but in the end sports teams can regulate at their own discretion. To the extent that sports teams and leagues are seeking to protect potential sources of revenue, the First Amendment is unlikely to stand in the way. If, however, they begin regulating new media's use to prevent negative publicity from going viral, it is far from certain whether such action will survive First Amendment scrutiny. † Hutchins and Row’s facts started broad and then built up to the root of the problem, sports teams wanted the most attention of fans and audiences. However, the news media outlets are competition and now the burgeoning forces of the average fan on YouTube which pumps out unpredictably one hit wonders ever week. Hutchins and Rowe first lay out the challenges each group face: â€Å"sports organizations want to maintain or improve the value of broadcast rights, contracts; broadcasters struggle to establish complementary and attractive online sites and distribution; while fans and Users Access quality sports news and information in the face of plentiful online choice. When seeing every sides challenges and needs it allowed equal opportunity for all opinions. The data collected in this research article was very thorough and answered statistical questions not answered in the other two articles. Shultz and Sheffer were able to compile their findings using theoretical and industry rationales which revealed the sports organizations employees motives, and even fears. â€Å"The media landscape has changed so drastically in the past few years that it has created an environment of tremendous uncertainty† (Shultz). These insights are exceptionally informative and allowed a balanced understanding of all of the possible outcomes. Brian Bennett, a journalist who has gotten caught in the crossfire, must be especially confused because all he did was blog; which sounds harmless. However, the current framework allows sports teams and leagues to regulate most of the speech at sports events. The reason why is because they grant exclusive rights to TV and radio stations, sell ads, and require reporters to have credentials. A few years ago, before social networking, this worked out fine and these regulations were not questioned. Although many are starting to question the current framework because of the fans and press easy accessibility to communicate online. Since the sports teams are trying to control every speck of correspondence about themselves when do we, as a people, have freedom of speech. â€Å"Professional sports teams and leagues enjoy the luxury of regulating speech without constitutional constraints because the First Amendment does not apply to them. Thus, from a First Amendment perspective, privately owned sports teams and leagues enjoy considerable freedom to regulate speech at sports events† (Hickman). This is allowing each sports team have the right to be notified when a comment is made about themselves. I feel that this shouldn’t be allowed and unless formally publishing your opinions, no one should be able to control that. The U. S. has the constitution in which is the First Amendment, in striving to protect and better the lives of each citizen. However, once again the U. S. as skewed the meaning of the document to benefit the conglomerate; this time being sports organizations. Hutchins and Rowe simply explains that the government should not intervene and that each sports organization that wants to be involved with the new media craze should enter at their own risk. They also completely denounce sports and news media to be the same content. â€Å"In the case of both groups, news is treated as a malleable categ ory, reflecting the self interest and identity of the speakers. Sports are demanding a rigid, content-driven definition of news defined in terms of time, features, and repetition. This formulation effectively divorces the technical characteristics of footage from any social and political function achieved by news, and ignores the fact thateffective journalism requires flexibility when responding to changing social conditions, commercial considerations, and technologies† (Hutchins). The data collected by Shultz and Sheffer show a side that the other two research articles didn’t. This is fear of change; their quantitative research unmasked a community of life long careers used to doing the same thing and not looking for anything else. ‘Sports is one of the last areas of TV where people do things the way they’ve always done them,’’ says television executive Elliott Wiser, â€Å"[Today] you have to have a new approach’’(Shultz). Unfortunately, those who ignore the new media changes will be left behind. â€Å"The ‘‘do something now’’ attitude reflects the new media environment of an e mpowered audience. Interactive communication, participation in the sports dialogue, and the ability to create and distribute content have combined to make the consumer much more demanding in the evolving community of sport† (Shultz).

College Participation Essay

One of the best things we can do after high school is to continue our education by going to college. During a high school career fair, students may find themselves asking: â€Å"Why is it important to go to college? † Well, it is important because at college, students try new things, meet new people and expand their knowledge of the world. Higher education also improves their chances of having the lives and the job they always wanted. However, it is not as easy as they think. Students can get distracted by different things in college, which can prevent them from success and achieving their goals. In most cases, lack of class participation is one of the factors that could directly affect their education and increase their chances to quit college. Boring instructors and time management could be the obstacles for students to not participate in class activities. â€Å"My class is so boring†, â€Å"My instructor talks all the time†, â€Å"I fall asleep in my class†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ are popular sayings from college students. Why should students go to class when everything from the lectures can be found easily from the book? When the lectures are so boring and the instructors basically just represent the information from the book, students would think that it is not necessary for them to go class, so they skip. Moreover, there are instructors who just go to class with a mission: talk. They keep going on and on without any class activities for students to participate in. This makes class participation even harder for students who attend class regularly and have questions or topics they want to discuss. As a result, students easily fall asleep during the lectures. Next, time management could be considered one of the biggest barriers that prevents students from class participation. Part-time jobs, friends and school activities can occupy most of the time if students do not know how to manage their time well. College students may vary where they come from. They could be high school graduate students or people who come back after years to have higher education in order to achieve their goals. But, they all cannot fully function as well as normal if they had to work until 12 the night before and then go to class at 8 in the morning. Since some have to earn money for tuition, their jobs occupy most of their time rather than finishing their homework and preparing for classes in the next day. On the other hand, in college, students always meet new friends and new people, so hanging out with them will just be a part of a student’s schedule. It can put them in trouble if they cannot balance themselves between spending time on school work and friends. It is even harder for those who are school athletes. It is impossible for them to be able to finish their homework and to prepare for class after hours of sport practices. With unfinished homework, lack of sleep and no class preparation, students will just attend classes with empty brains. Despite great lectures from the instructors, they all will just fall asleep during class or hardly join class activities. As a result, lack of class participation would prevent students from deeply understanding the lectures, increasing their chances to fall in the path of getting bad grades on exam. Class participation helps student to interact with each other and with teacher. It is an opportunity for students to practice in-class problems in order to deeply understand the lectures. It also helps them to better prepare for the assignments and exams. Unlike in high school, in college, students may have to finish a book in a short quarter. Dealing with large amounts of information in the short time, students may find it difficult to memorize details from the lectures and the book if they do not understand the lectures in depth. If so, it becomes difficult for them be able to score high in the exam because a test in college usually covers at least three to four chapters. Thus, it would not be strange if they got bad grades in the exams. On the other hand, in some classes, participation in class could be counted as a participation grade which can affect the student’s grade in general. One more important thing is that the instructors sometimes use the discussion questions for the upcoming test, so it would be a big disadvantage for those who attended class but did not actually participate in class activities. By having too many bad grades, students will just drop out of class or, the worst thing could happen, they quit. Approximately three million students enroll in some form of college every year; however, 33% drop out each year. From lack of class participation, students will feel alone and school becomes the most boring place they have to go to every day. They do not see the importance of going to college. Students will just quit to find a job that can fit them in. In order to have students participate in class, instructors should have some strategies to make their lecture more interesting to students and create interactive activities such as rolling dice to have students answer question or group discussions†¦ However, students also have to actively prepare for classes and participate in class activities. Checklists and to-do lists can be a student’s best friends if they have trouble with managing their time. By doing so, students can balance their time on school works and outside activities more effectively and have more spare time for themselves. When students find it more interesting to participate in class, it means they are one step closer to be successful in college. Because the more time students participate in class, the more knowledge they can gain and the more successful they can be.

Interview of Health Care Leader Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Interview of Health Care Leader - Essay Example My role is to advise and guide my students that can motivate them to engage in scholarly work. Moreover, I have to prepare nursing conferences to educate the trainee nurses about several aspects of clinical nursing. I have to maintain clinical components. I always try to contribute to the academic community through effective leadership roles. How would you describe a leader? A leader is an individual who have a clear vision. A leader can provide strong commitment and drive his or her team towards the vision. Effective leadership skills can make it happen. Leadership is the process of social influence. A person can enlist the support and aid of other associates in the triumph of a common task. Effective leaders expertly organize a group of individuals to accomplish a common objective. In healthcare sector, leaders need to manage and control each and every healthcare team of doctors, nurses and support staffs. It can help the organization to maintain its organizational vale. Effective leadership in healthcare organization will help to take care of the needs of patients who seek for significant treatment and care. What are important qualities or characteristics of leaders? A leader needs to have positive attitude, behavior and personality that can drive a group of people towards the developed objective. A leader needs to be trusted by other. He or she should have superior integrity and honesty. A true leader should be enthusiastic about his or her work and responsibility. He or she should have the dedication and passion to develop several innovative strategies to achieve successful project outcome. A good leader should be confident about his decision making ability. He or she should have the capability to undertake calculated risk under the decision making process. A good leader should provide commitment to the excellence (Maxwell, 2005). He or she should maintain high ethical standards in the decision making process. Moreover, a leader in a healthcare organizatio n should motivate all the staffs within the team to provide effective performance. Effective motivation process can enhance group performance. It can directly reflect in the profitability of that organization. What is your personal philosophy of leadership? A leader is an important person who can lead a crowd in the direction where the objectives and goals can be successfully accomplished. A good and team oriented leader generally acknowledges a problem and gives solution to it. He or she can attract the people preaching and sharing his or her view of giving solutions to the problems. For example, during an emergency situation a good healthcare leader have to take a quick decision within a fraction of second. Effective undertaking of calculative risk can save a life of a patient during an emergency situation. Moreover, effective leading skills can enhance collaborative group work. In addition to this, a good leader has the ability to undertake effective future strategies to achieve organizational objectives. What learning experiences have had the most influence on your own personal development as a leader? Leadership is tough but quite interesting. An individual can avail effective leadership skill through significant work experience and continuous practice. Talent or skill is another important aspect that can transform a hardworking individual to a good leader. In my personal development as a leader, I had to work very hard on my expertise and talent. Sheer

Attitudes and Behavior in Psychology Thesis Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Attitudes and Behavior in Psychology - Thesis Example   Behavioral – which deals with action towards the attitude object. This is the execution of the attitude; the means through which a third party may administer or observe what the reaction has been. It is imperative to discuss the reaction component differently, because not all initial assumptions about attitude may yield the same result. (c) Cognitive – where beliefs about the attitude object are ascertained. Any prior experiences or learned behavior in the same context is likely to influence the process of attitude formation. These beliefs are not only crucial in the context of the issue at hand, but they also become the basis and foundations for future attitude formulations. Attitudes show their effect in various ways. There are circumstances wherein a person may feel positively or negatively about a subject. At the same time, states of ‘ambivalence’ may enable a person to maintain both views simultaneously. Additional concepts in social attitude formation are also integral to the lucid understanding of the said concept. One of these involves the theory of ‘cognitive dissonance’. â€Å"It is a state that presents a state of opposition between cognitions† (Wikipedia). The primary belief that is purported by this school of thought is that conflicting ideation, emotions, and conditions force the human being to seek a condition of equilibrium, and in a way speeds up the decision making process as far as concluding upon a certain attitude is concerned. These conflicts, therefore, ironically form the way towards conflict resolution once the mind has decided upon which stance to maintain.   

Negotiation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Negotiation - Essay Example Frank Hu, the partner was located in CA at the time. He is a 40-year-old IT engineer with a great background of people resources in the area. His role was to act as a bridge between the CA clients and us, located in TX. In the deal, Frank’s primary job was to organize Seminars. This covered arrangement of location, advertising and general contacts. With this limited responsibility, Frank was happy with 20% share on each closed house deal based on 3% commission of sales price, plus 50% share cost on all business expenses for Advertising and Seminars. My team leader – Lady M, chose me to play her primary role, and gave me the charge of the investing department and the authority to deal with Frank. I was quick learner, and was able to lead the negotiations with confidence in a matter of two months. My primary duties were Seminar hosting, Real Estate tour trips, sales and buying, house leasing, and also rental management between investors and tenants. It was a 24/7 job and I was able to learn a lot and survived though unlimited multi-tasking. My own share percentage with Lady M was 1/3 of sales price in each closed transaction plus 50% of any bonuses from new home builders on top of deals. It sounded great in compare with my work. Monthly volume at the time was a minimum of 6 seminars in CA, with average of 10 or more closures. Besides we got 10 -15 rental houses on the market, and the cumulative number of housing management started from 50 from when I joined the business. It was exhausting work but the compensation was worth the effort. Indeed I thought my life could not be more perfect and tougher, until the unexpected happened. One day in winter, Frank and his wife secretly flied into Dallas for a private meeting with me. On the dinner table at my home, Frank started off with remarks that Lady M, who had not been neither involved nor devoted to any efforts all this time, skimmed off

Race relations in the United States explained Anthropologically Research Paper

Race relations in the United States explained Anthropologically - Research Paper Example for explorative studies and in the modern times the studies are continually expanded to decipher the complexity of understanding how and why each race came to exist. When it comes to the American anthropology, the studies conducted towards race have existed for many centuries. This is mainly because; the American society not only has a long history when it comes to the resistance and acceptance of different racial societies, but also because the native American people did present a new race for the new inhabitants in America. The European and Englishmen could classify themselves as white people whereas; Native Americans are red skinned, Asians are yellow skinned, Latinas are brown skinned and Africans are dark skinned. All this clear insight differentiation of skin colors did merge a greater need to further understand how each group of racial populations did come into existence and how their skin color have always been inherited from one generation to another. With the white skinned population having taken the lead in declaring their superiority among the other races, it was inevitable that racial conflicts would not only merge, but also persistently exist for many decades. Historically, the acceptance of different racial individuals was never conducted with open arms. If anything racial discrimination was the norm of the society and this has greatly impacted our modern society. Several populations in the United States live among their own races, for example, there are some neighborhoods where you will only find African American plebeians in the states, the same goes for Asian and Latina populations in the US. They all believe in keeping up with each of their cultures and in preserving them well enough to not have their identity robbed by the western ways of living. On the other hand, conflict has emerged for several decades when two individual from two different racial backgrounds are getting married. None of their neighbors or friends approves of this act and

Business Report in Hilton Hotels Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Business Report in Hilton Hotels - Assignment Example With the increasing reliability upon the group effort by the society and the increment in the organised groups, it has been found that the task of the managers has been increasing in importance and complexity. Since then the management theory has underpinned the way managers manage complex organisation. Therefore, it can be said that management is the process of designing and upholding the environment where the individual who are working collectively in groups efficiently accomplish their aims. There are various objectives of the management. One of them is to ensure that the organisational goals and targets are being met in the lowest possible cost and without any kind of wastage. There are primarily five management functions. They are ‘planning, organising, staffing, leading and controlling’. There are various management theories such as the scientific management school, the management science school, the classical organisational theory school, the behavioural school, a nd the recent development in management theory such as systems approach, team building theory contingency or situational theory and chaos theory. The contingency or situational theory is linked to the Hilton hotels as the main challenge for the hotel is to take its hotels to a greater height and expand its operation in international markets. It needs to beat the growing competition that are providing better facilities and hence are increasing their efficiencies in the service industry. There is a close link between the challenge of Hiltons and the contingency theory. The situational or the contingency theory tries to explain that whenever the decision is taken by the management they must take into consideration all the aspects of the current situation and must instantly act upon those aspects that are important to the situation (Olum, 2004). 1.1 The Competing Values Framework The framework evolved out of the research in order to determine the key factors of the organisational effect iveness. The theory was processed by Quinn and Rohrbaugh in the year 1983. There are two sets of dimension comprising four major quadrants that represent opposite and competing assumptions. The first set of dimension ranges from flexibility and discretion on one hand to stability and control on the other hand. The second dimension consists of internal focus and integration to external focus and differentiation. According to Quinn and Cameron, the quadrant has been labelled as Clan, Adhocracy, Hierarchy and Market cultures. The clan culture is similar to an extended family. This type of organisation focuses upon the employee involvement, empowerment, cohesion, participation, team work, corporate commitment to the employees and self managed teams. The adhocracy culture focuses on the dynamic, creative and entrepreneurial organisation. These kinds of organisations thrive in an ambiguous, turbulent and uncertain environment. In case of hierarchy culture, it is assumed to be a formalised and structured bureaucracy. It values reliability, predictability, efficiency and standardisation. The market culture is goal oriented and intensely competitive. It tries to put more emphasis upon the market share, profitability, penetration, productivity and wining (Lincoln, 2010). Source: (East Carolina University, n.d.).

Tv series Angels in America Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Tv series Angels in America - Essay Example Prior Walker, a gay man who discovers he has AIDS, must deal with the end of a relationship while facing his own mortality. Through his numerous heavenly visions, he learns that he is a prophet, perhaps symbolizing hope and survival. At the beginning of the story, Louis Ironson is Prior’s neurotic boyfriend; later, however, he abandons the relationship once he discovers Prior is suffering from AIDS, unable to deal with a tragedy that symbolizes his own fears. Harper and Joe Pitt must address their own life-changing events: she attempts to numb her repressed life with drugs and must eventually face her husband’s homosexuality; and Joe must struggle with his sexual identity and issues of politics and homophobia. Two main characters are based on actual people: Roy Cohn and Ethel Rosenberg. Cohn’s voyage is not easy; he continually denies his sexuality and, until the end, holds tightly to his judgmental nature and conservatism. The ghost of Rosenberg visits Cohn in t he hospital as she struggles with her unjust execution and the desire to confront her prosecutor. Each character’s journey begins with tragedy and personal struggle, as these elements work well as dramatic sources of self-discovery. The various ways in which the main characters deal with the issue of homosexuality can me seen in their personal relationships and how they look at the world. Whether in or out of the closet, each character must face the stereotypes and social expectations of their sexuality. It is clear that the characters who refuse to face the truth of their sexual orientation struggle with the avoidance of their true nature and, in many ways, this dishonesty eats at their souls. Joe is living a lie through his marriage to Harper and gradually understands he must live a somewhat truer life, while Harper faces the repercussions of his decision. Cohn is perhaps the most repressed and

Salaah, the second pillar of Islam Essay Example for Free

Salaah, the second pillar of Islam Essay In this project I will propose to deal with one of the most important major exercises of faith as laid down by Islam. This is prayer (Salaah). Salaah is the second pillar of Islam. It refers to the five compulsory daily prayers. Salaah is the most special act of worship, which a Muslim can do for Allah. The word Salaah, itself, literally means Connection. So the act of Salaah is our way of making a connection with our Lord, Allah. There are many versus of the Quran and many sayings of the blessed Prophet which call us to this important act. We offer Salaah to remember Allah. It brings us closer to Him. The Quran says: Indeed, I am Allah; there is no god except Myself; so worship Me and establish Salaah to remember Me. (20:14) Islam is known as the foundation of Religion. After accepting the truth of the Shahadah, Salaah is the doorway to knowledge. Salaah is the key to paradise. Allah reminds us in the Quran of the importance of Salaah again and again, telling us everything about it from the rewards of it to the punishments of it. The word Ibadah comes from the Arabic Abd, which means slave or servant. Man is a born subject and servant of Allah. When he turns to Allah with humility and devotion, he performs an act of Ibadah. In Islam, every good deed performed to seek the pleasure of Allah is an act of worship. One example of Ibadah is prayer (Salaah).The Salaah, which is the subject of this project, is an essential part of Ibadah. The Prophet (S.A.W) is reported to have said: Salaah is the pillar of Islam and whosoever abandons it, demolishes the very pillar of religion. Prayer is the second pillar of Islam. It refers to the five daily compulsory prayers. Any Muslim who fails to observe his prayers and has no reasonable excuse is committing a major sin. This is a very grave sin because it is not only against God, but is also against the nature of man. The benefit man can get from praying is immeasurable. Here are some explanations of the effectiveness of the Islamic prayer: 1. It strengthens the belief in the Existence and Goodness of God. 2. It purifies the heart and comforts the soul. 3. It keeps man close to good and decent actions and away from bad and evil actions. This is the Islamic prayer and that is what it can do for man. The best way to understand Salaah is to perform it and then one will really know what it really means. There are certain conditions regarding prayer. The offering of prayer is obligatory upon every Muslim whether male or female if they are: 1. Sane and responsible. 2. Relatively mature, normally about fourteen. Parents should advise their children at a young age so as they grow older they are used to praying Salaah. 3. Free from serious sickness. Prayer is not valid till the following requirements are fulfilled: 1. Performing the ablution (Wudu), which will be explained later. 2. Purity of your whole body, the clothes worn on it, and the ground used for prayer from all kinds of dirt and impurity. 3. Dressing properly in such a way as to meet the moral regulations. 4. Declaring the intention of prayer (Niyyah) by both heart and tongue whenever possible. 5. Facing the right direction of Qiblah, the direction of the Kabah at Mecca. There are many ways to decide the direction, if a person cant tell the direction he should follow his best judgement. Every Muslim, male or female, must offer at least five daily prayers on time, if there is no reasonable excuse, or temporary delay, they are: 1. The Early Morning Prayer (Fajr), which may be offered any time after the dawn and before sunrise, a total period of about two hours. 2. The Noon Prayer (Zuhr). This prayer may be offered after midday until afternoon. 3. The Mid-Afternoon Prayer (Asr), which begins right after the Noon prayer time and extends to sunset. 4. The Sunset Prayer (Maghrib). The time of this prayer begins immediately after sunset and extends till the end of daylight. Normally it extends over a period of one hour and twenty to thirty minutes. 5. The Evening Prayer (Isha), which begins at night and extends till midnight or dawn. Fajr 2 Sunnah, 2 Fard Total = 4 rakah Zuhr 4 Sunnah, 4 Fard, 2 Sunnah, 2 Nafl Total = 12 rakah Asr 4 Sunnah*, 4 Fard Total = 8 rakah Maghrib 3 Fard, 2 Sunnah, 2 Nafl Total = 7 rakah Isha 4 Sunnah*, 4 Fard, 2 Sunnah, 2Nafl, 3 Witr, 2 Nafl Total = 17 rakah These five prayers are the minimum requirement for a Muslim. We must try to offer Salaah at the right time and make every effort not to miss our Salaah. If you miss your Salaah, you must do it at the first opportunity. Performing a missed Salaah after its proper time is called Qada. We must make up our Fard Salaah. Before we can begin to perform Salaah, we must first prepare ourselves. This preparation includes making sure we are clean. We do this by carrying out Wudu. These are the steps to take: 1. Make Niyyah (intention) saying the Tasmiyah (Basmalah or Bismillah). 2. Then wash both hands up to the wrists three times making sure that water has reached between the fingers. 3. Put a handful of water into the mouth and rinse it thoroughly three times. 4. Sniff water into the nostrils three times to clean them and then wash the tip of the nose. 5. Wash the face three times from right ear to left ear and from forehead to throat. 6. Wash the right arm, and then left arm, thoroughly from wrist to elbow three times. 7. Move the wet palms of both hands over the head, starting from the top of the forehead to the neck. 8. Rub the wet fingers into the grooves and holes of both ears and also pass the wet thumbs behind the ears. 9. Pass the backs of the wet hands over the nape. 10. Wash both feet to the ankles starting from the right foot and making sure that water has reached between the toes and all other parts of the feet. At the end of all the steps, recite: Ash-hadu alla ilaha illallahu wahdahu la sharika lahu wa ash-hadu anna Muhammadan abduhu wa rasuluh. I testify that there is no god except Allah and He is One and has no partner and I testify that Muhammad is His servant and messenger. This completes the process of Wudu. You should repeat your Wudu after: 1. Natural discharges 2. Flow of blood or pus from any part of the body. 3. Full mouth vomiting. 4. Falling asleep or losing consciousness. 5. Touching the sexual organs. Adhan When the time for Salaah comes, it is the practice of the Muslim community to announce from the masjid that prayer-time has come. This melodic and enchanting call is called the Adhan. A man called a Muadhdhin, or, prayer-caller, is chosen for his good voice to do this task. He faces the Qiblah (the direction towards the Kabah in Makkah). He raises his hands up to his ears and calls out: 1. Allahu akbar, Allah is the Greatest. 2. Allahu akbar, Allah is the Greatest. 3. Allahu akbar, Allah is the Greatest. 4. Allahu akbar, Allah is the Greatest. 5. Ash-hadu alla ilaha illallah, I testify that there is no god except Allah. 6. Ash-hadu alla ilaha illallah, I testify that there is no god except Allah. 7. Ash-hadu anna Muhammadur rasulullah, I testify that Muhammad is Allahs messenger. 8. Ash-hadu anna Muhammadur rasulullah, I testify that Muhammad is Allahs messenger. 9. Haiya alas salaah, Rush to Salaah. 10. Haiya alas salaah, Rush to Salaah. 11. Haiya alal falah, Rush to success. 12. Haiya alal falah, Rush to success. 13. Allahu akbar, Allah is the Greatest. 14. Allahu akbar, Allah is the Greatest. 15. La ilaha illallah, There is no god except Allah. Iqamah Iqamah is the second call to Salaah said inside the masjid at the beginning of Salaah in congregation. When the people praying Salaah stand in rows, the Muadhdhin says Iqamah which is the same as the Adhan except that after Haiya alal falah, the following words are added: 1. Qad qamatis salaah, Salaah has begun. 2. Qad qamatis salaah, Salaah has begun. Usually, Iqamah is said in a lower voice than Adhan. At this stage you should be ready to start saying your Salaah. Make sure you have Wudu, a clean body, clean clothes and a clean place. This is how you should do your Salaah: 1. Stand upright on your prayer mat facing the direction of the Qiblah. This position is called the Qiyam. 2. Say your Niyyah (intention) either verbally or in your mind. 3. Raise your hands up to your ears (women and girls up to their shoulders) and say Allahu Akbar (Allah is the Greatest). This is called Takbiratul Ihram, meaning that all worldly things are now forbidden. 4. Place your right hand on your left hand just below the navel or on the chest (women and girls put their hands on their chest) and recite Thana. Audhu billahi minash shaitanir rajim, I seek refuge in Allah from the cursed Satan (Shaitan). Bismillahir rahmanir rahim, In the name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Most Kind. 5. Recite Suratul Fatihah (opening chapter) of the Quran. Then say, quietly or loudly: Amin. The recitation of al-Fatihah is a must in all prayers. 6. Recite any other passage from the Quran. 7. Bow down saying Allahu Akbar. Place your hands on your knees and say Subhana rabbiyal azim (Glory to my Lord, the Great) three times. This position is called Ruku. 8. Stand up from Ruku saying Sami allahu liman hamidah (Allah hears those who praise Him), followed by Rabbana lakal hamd (Our Lord, praise be to You). This is called Itidal as you return to the position of Qiyam (standing). 9. Prostate saying Allahu akbar, with your forehead, nose, palms of both hands, your knees and your toes touching the floor. Recite Subhana rabbiyal ala (Glory to my Lord, the Highest) three times. This position is called Sujud. Your arms should not touch the floor. 10. Get up from the floor saying Allahu akbar and sit upright with your knees bent and palms placed on them. After a moments rest prostrate again saying Allahu akbar and recite Subhana rabbiyal ala three times. Get up this position saying Allahu akbar. This completes one rakah or one unit of Salaah. The second rakah is performed in the same way, except that you do not recite Subhanaka Taawwudh (Audhu billahi) or Tasmiyah (Bismillah), then after the second prostration you sit upright and recite quietly at-Tashahhud. In a three-rakah Salaah (as in Maghrib) or a four-rakah Salaah (Zuhr,Asr and Isha) you stand up for the remaining rakah after Tashahhud. But for a two-rakah Salaah you remain seated after the second rakah and recite as-Salaah alan nabiy (blessings for the Prophet) or Darud. After this say the following dua: Rabbijalni muqimas salati wa min dhurriyati rabbana wa taqabbal dua. Rabbanaghfir li wa liwaalidaiya wa lilmu minina yawma yaqumul hisab. 11. Now turn your face to the right saying Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullah and then to the left repeating the words. This completes the two-rakah Salaah. In the four-rakah Salaah of Zuhr, Asr and Isha, the whole procedure is repeated except that when you get up to complete the remaining two rakahs (one rakah in Maghrib and Witr) after Tashahhud, you only recite al-Fatihah in Fard prayers and no other Surah. In a four rakah Sunnah Salaah you should recite another Surah or part of the Quran after al-Fatihah. Jumuah (Friday) Prayer Beside the daily Salaah, the Friday prayer is also obligatory upon Muslim men. For Muslim women it is not obligatory, but is desirable if they are able to do so without upsetting their household work. The Friday Salaah is offered in congregation on Friday at Zuhr time. First the Imam delivers a sermon (Khutbah). Then he leads the congregation in a two rakat Salaah. After this two or more rakaat of Sunnah or Nafilah prayers are offered individually. The Eid Prayer There are two Eid or occasions of great festivity for Muslims. The first is called Eidul-Fitr or the festival of fast breaking. It is celebrated on the first day of the tenth Islamic month (Shawwal) following Ramadan, the month of fasting. It marks great thanks-giving for the Muslims all over the world. The second Eid is the Eidul-Adha or the festival of great sacrifice, which is observed on the tenth of Dhul-Hijjah, the last Islamic month. The animals are sacrificed to celebrate the great sacrifice of the Prophet Ibrahim (peace be upon him), On both these Eids, Eid prayers are offered in congregation any time after sunrise and before noon. There is no Adhan (call for prayer) or Iqamah (second call before congregation). The Eid prayer consists of two rakaat (offered just as the two rakaat of Jumuah prayer are said) with six to sixteen additional Takbirs (ALLAHU AKBAR). You say three or more Takbirs in the second rakaat before you bow down for Ruku. The Imam (leader of the prayer) delivers a sermon (Khutbah) after the two rakaat Eid prayer unlike the Jumuah prayer when it precedes the prayer. The presence of all Muslims, women and children included is strongly recommended. By now you should have a very clear understanding of how important Salaah is, and why we have been recommended many times by the Prophet and Allah through the Quran and Hadith. Without prayer a Muslim is incomplete and he should realise this. However many young Muslims have chosen to go astray and follow the non-believers and their actions. May Allah guide us to the way of His Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) and keep us away from going astray and following false desires. May Allah accept our prayers and grant us good rewards for them. To gather various types of information I used a few books that I thought would be most appropriate. I used the following books to extract information and include it in my project: 1. Islam Beliefs and Teachings (Ghulam Sarwar) 2. Islam in Focus (Hammudah Abdalati) 3. Salaah (The Muslim Prayer)

The expert system

The expert system Abstract The title for this report is Expert System. Statistically, the percentage of current organizations implementing expert systems for their usage is very minimal. This is due to the restraining forces of implementing expert system outweigh its driving force. Yet, as the technologies are frequently being upgraded, the constraints of implementing expert systems are getting easier to overcome. Hence, the reason I chose this title for my report is due to my strong interest in the future of expert system where it may potentially be used domestically for providing the best solutions for complex problems. Also, the knowledge gained from this research will contribute a lot for my final year project which will include in a simple expert system. This report will be explaining what an expert system is, the components of expert system, what a knowledge-based expert system is, the features of expert system, the advantages of using expert system, the drawbacks of using expert system and finally suggestions of implementing expert system into e-commerce systems. In the appendix part, the pictures which I have found from the Internet will be included in for providing better understanding regarding the details of expert system. What is Expert System? According to Wikipedia, an expert system is an advanced computer application that is implemented for the purpose of providing solutions to complex problems, or to clarify uncertainties through the use of non-algorithmic programs where normally human expertise will be needed. Expert systems are most common in complex problem domain and are considered as widely used alternatives in searching for solutions that requires the existence of specific human expertise. The expert system is also able to justify its provided solutions based on the knowledge and data from past users. Normally expert systems are used in making business marketing strategic decisions, analyzing the performance of real time systems, configuring computers and perform many other functions which normally would require the existence of human expertise. The difference between an expert system with a normal problem-solving system is that the latter is a system where both programs and data structures are encoded, while for expert system only the data structures are hard-coded and no problem-specific information is encoded in the program structure. Instead, the knowledge of a human expertise is captured and codified in a process known as knowledge engineering. Hence, whenever a particular problem requires the assistance of a certain human expertise to provide a solution, the human expertise which has been codified will be used and processed in order to provide a rational and logical solution. This knowledge-based expert system enables the system to be frequently added with new knowledge and adapt accordingly to meet new requirements from the ever-changing and unpredictable environment. Components of Expert System An expert system has many core system components to function and interfaces with individuals of various roles. In the appendix area, there will be a diagram (Figure 1.1) displaying expert system components and human interfaces. The major components are: Knowledge base a set of rules as representation of the expertise, mostly in IF THEN statements. Working storage the data which is specific to a problem being solved. Inference engine the code at the core of the system which derives recommendations from the knowledge base and problem-specific data in working storage. User interface the code that controls the dialog between the user and the system. There are certain major roles of individuals who interact with the expert system to fully exploit its functionality and capability. They are the: Domain expert the individual or individuals whose expertises are solving the problems the system is intended to solve; Knowledge engineer the individual who encodes the experts knowledge in a form that can be used by the expert system; User the individual who will be consulting with the system to get advice which would have been provided by the expert. Majority of the expert systems are built with expert system shells which contains an inference engine and user interface. The shell will be used by a knowledge engineer to build a system catered for specific problem domain. Sometimes expert systems are also built with custom developed shells for certain applications. In this scenario, there will be another additional individual System engineer the individual who builds the user interface, designs the declarative format of the knowledge base, and implements the inference engine. Depending on the size of the project, the knowledge engineer and the system engineer might be the same person. For a custom built system, the design of the format of the knowledge base and the coding of the domain knowledge are closely related. The format has a significant effect on the coding of the knowledge. One of the major hurdles to overcome in building expert systems is the knowledge engineering process. The process of the codifying the expertise into a required rule format can be a challenging and tedious task. One major advantage of a customized shell is that the format of the knowledge base can be designed to facilitate the knowledge engineering process. Since the major challenge in expert system development is the building of the knowledge base, it is encouraged that gap and difference between the experts representation of the knowledge and the representation in the knowledge base should be minimized. With a customized system, the system engineer can implement a knowledge base whose structures are as close as possible to those used by the domain expert. Knowledge-based Expert Systems Not all expert systems have learning components to adapt in new environments or to meet new requirements. But a common element each expert system possesses is that once the system is fully developed it will be tested and be proven by being placed in the same real world problem solving situation, typically as an aid to human workers or a supplement to some information system. Although reference books are able to provide a tremendous amount of knowledge, users have to read, comprehend and interpret the knowledge for it to be used. Conventional computer programs are built to perform functions using conventional decision-making logic having only little knowledge along with the basic algorithm for performing the specific functions and fulfill the necessary boundary conditions. The so-called knowledgebase was created in purpose of utilizing some knowledge representation formalism to capture and store the Subject Matter Experts (SME) knowledge. The process includes gathering that knowledge from the SME and codifying it according to a standardized format. Knowledge-based expert systems collect the small segments of human knowledge and combined into a set of knowledge-base which is used to aid in solving a complex problem. Any other problem that is within the range and domain of the knowledge-base can also be solved using the same program without reprogramming. Knowledge-based expert systems solve problems which normally require human intelligence. These said expert systems represent the expertise knowledge as data or rules within a system. These rules and data can be used and called upon for reference when needed to solve complex problems. When compared to conventional programming, the system has the ability to reason the process with explanations by back-traces and calculate the levels of confidence and deal with uncertainty. The knowledge has to be codified into programming code, hence as the knowledge changes, the program has to be changed accordingly as well and then rebuilt. Expert System Features There are a number of features which are commonly used in expert systems. These features allows the users to fully utilize the expert systems capability conveniently in providing the most logical and reasonable decision in a problematic situation. Backward chaining an inference technique which continuously break a goal into smaller sub-goals which are easier to prove via IF THEN rules Dealing with uncertainties the system has the capability to handle and reason with conditions that are uncertain and data which are not precisely known Forward chaining an inference technique which deduce a problem solution from initial data via IF THEN rules Data representation the method where the specific problem data is stored and accessed in the system User interface that portion of the code which creates an easy to use system; Explanations the ability of the system to explain the reasoning process that it used to reach a recommendation. Inference rule An inference rule is a statement that has two parts, antecedent which is an if clause and consequent which is a then clause. This rule is what the expert systems rely on and provides the capability to find solutions to diagnose and prescribe problems. An example of an inference rule is: If the song choice is in Latin, and the singers are in a group, Then the song choice is definitely from Il Divo. An expert systems rule base stores many inference rules such as this. They are stored in as separate rules and the inference engine will draw conclusions by going through all of them. Rules can be removed and added without affecting others since they are non-connected, yet it will subsequently affect which conclusions are to be reached. Inference rules has the better upper hand compared with traditional programming due to the fact that inference rules are able to imitate human reasoning and justify the solutions given. Thus, when a conclusion is drawn, the system is able to justify its course of solution and convince the user. Furthermore, since the expert system uses knowledge in a form identical to a certain expert, the solution provided will be not so different from an actual experts advice. Chaining When using inference rules, two main methods of reasoning used are backward chaining and forward chaining. Forward Chaining Forward chaining begins under the condition that the data is available and inference rules are used to conclude more data until a desired goal is reached. An inference engine using forward chaining searches the inference rules until it finds one in which the if clause is known to be true. It then concludes the then clause and adds this information to its data. It would continue to do this until a goal is reached. Due to the reason that the data available determines which inference rules are used, this method is also called data driven. A large number of expert systems require the use of forward chaining. The data driven approach is practical when combinatorial explosion creates a seemingly infinite number of possible right answers where no definite answer is specified. Forward chaining starts with the available data and uses inference rules to extract more data until a goal is reached. An inference engine using forward chaining searches the inference rules until it finds one where the antecedent (If clause) is known to be true. When found it can conclude, the consequent (Then clause), resulting in the addition of new information to its data. Inference engines will iterate through this process until a goal is reached. For example, suppose that the goal is to conclude the color of a pet named Fritz, given that he croaks and eats flies, and that the rule base contains the following four rules: If X croaks and eats flies Then X is a frog If X chirps and sings Then X is a canary If X is a frog Then X is green If X is a canary Then X is yellow This rule base would be searched and the first rule would be selected, because its antecedent (If Fritz croaks and eats flies) matches our data. Now the consequents (Then X is a frog) is added to the data. The rule base is again searched and this time the third rule is selected, because its antecedent (If Fritz is a frog) matches our data that was just confirmed. Now the new consequent (Then Fritz is green) is added to our data. Nothing more can be inferred from this information, but we have now accomplished our goal of determining the color of Fritz. Due to the fact that the data determines which rules are selected and used, this method is called data-driven, in contrast to goal-driven backward chaining inference. One of the advantages of forward-chaining over backward-chaining is that the reception of new data can trigger new inferences, which makes the engine better suited to dynamic situations in which conditions are likely to change. Backward Chaining Backward chaining starts with a list of goals or hypothesis and works backwards from the consequent (Then clause) to the antecedent (If clause) to see if there is data available that will support any of these consequents. An inference engine using backward chaining would search the inference rules until it finds one which has a consequent that matches a desired goal. If the antecedent of that rule is not known to be true, then it is added to the list of goals. In order for ones goal to be confirmed one must also provide data that confirms this new rule. An example of a system that uses backward chaining will be Google search engine. The aim of the system is to pick the best choice from many enumerated possibilities. For example, an identification problem falls in this category. Diagnostic systems also fit this model, since the aim of the system is to pick the correct diagnosis. The knowledge is structured in rules which describe how each of the possibilities might be selected. The rule breaks the problem into sub-problems. For example, the following top level rules are in a system which identifies birds. IF family is albatross and color is white THEN bird is laysan albatross. IF family is albatross and color is dark THEN bird is black footed albatross. The system would try all of the rules which gave information satisfying the goal of identifying the bird. Each would trigger sub-goals. In the case of these two rules, the sub-goals of determining the family and the color would be pursued. The following rule is one that satisfies the family sub-goal: IF order is tubenose and size large and wings long narrow THEN family is albatross. The sub-goals of determining color, size, and wings would be satisfied by asking the user. By having the lowest level sub-goal satisfied or denied by the user, the system effectively carries on a dialog with the user. The user sees the system asking questions and responding to answers as it attempts to find the rule which correctly identifies the bird. Note that the goals always match the affirmed versions of the consequents of implications and even then, their antecedents are then considered as the new goals which ultimately must match known facts which are usually defined as consequents whose antecedents are always true. Due to the reason that the list of goals determines which rules are selected and used, this method is called goal-driven, in contrast to data-driven forward-chaining inference. The backward chaining approach is often employed by expert systems. For a data driven system, the system must be initially populated with data, in contrast to the goal driven system which gathers data as it needs it. Figure 1.2 illustrates the difference between forward and backward chaining systems for two simplified rules. The forward chaining system starts with the data of a=1 and b=2 and uses the rules to derive d=4. The backward chaining system starts with the goal of finding a value for d and uses the two rules to reduce that to the problem of finding values for a and b. Uncertainty Often times in structured selection problems the final answer is not known with complete certainty. The experts rules might be vague, and the user might be unsure of answers to questions. This can be easily seen in medical diagnostic systems where the expert is not able to be definite about the relationship between symptoms and diseases. In fact, the doctor might offer multiple possible diagnoses. For expert systems to work in the real world they must also be able to deal with uncertainty. One of the simplest schemes is to associate a numeric value with each piece of information in the system. The numeric value represents the certainty with which the information is known. There are numerous ways in which these numbers can be defined, and how they are combined during the inference process. Data Representation For all rule based systems, the rules refer to data. The data representation can be simple or complex, depending on the problem. The most fundamental scheme uses attribute-value pairs. Examples are color-white, and size-large. When a system is reasoning about multiple objects, it is necessary to include the object as well as the attribute-value. For example the furniture placement system might be dealing with multiple chairs with different attributes, such as size. The data representation in this case must include the object. Once there are objects in the system, they each might have multiple attributes. This leads to a record-based structure where a single data item in working storage contains an object name and all of its associated attribute-value pairs. Frames are a more complex way of storing objects and their attribute-values. Frames add intelligence to the data representation, and allow objects to inherit values from other objects. Furthermore, each of the attributes can have associated with it procedures (called demons) which are executed when the attribute is asked for, or updated. In a furniture placement system each piece of furniture can inherit default values for length. When the piece is placed, demons are activated which automatically adjust the available space where the item was placed. User Interface The acceptability of an expert system depends to a great extent on the quality of the user interface. The easiest to implement interfaces communicate with the user through a scrolling dialog as illustrated in figure 1.4. The user can enter commands, and respond to questions. The system responds to commands, and asks questions during the inferencing process. More advanced interfaces make heavy use of pop-up menus, windows, mice, and similar techniques as shown in figure 1.5. If the machine supports it, graphics can also be a powerful tool for communicating with the user. This is especially true for the development interface which is used by the knowledge engineer in building the system. Providing Explanations One of the more interesting features of expert systems is their ability to explain themselves. Given that the system knows which rules were used during the inference process, it is possible for the system to provide those rules to the user as a means for explaining the results. This type of explanation can be very dramatic for some systems such as the bird identification system. It could report that it knew the bird was a black footed albatross because it knew it was dark colored and an albatross. It could similarly justify how it knew it was an albatross. At other times, however, the explanations are relatively useless to the user. This is because the rules of an expert system typically represent empirical knowledge, and not a deep understanding of the problem domain. For example a car diagnostic system has rules which relate symptoms to problems, but no rules which describe why those symptoms are related to those problems. Explanations are always of extreme value to the knowledge engineer. They are the program traces for knowledge bases. By looking at explanations the knowledge engineer can see how the system is behaving, and how the rules and data are interacting. This is an invaluable diagnostic tool during development. Why Use Expert System? In this section, the advantages and disadvantages of implementing the expert systems are provided. Then, the pros and cons will be reviewed according to my viewpoint and I will conclude as to why expert system SHOULD be implemented as a wiser alternative in obtaining the best solutions in overcoming complex problems. The Advantages of Using Expert System Expert system has been reliably used in the business world to gain tactical advantages and forecast the markets condition. In this globalization era where every decision made in the business world is critical for success, the assistance provided from an expert system is undoubtedly essential and highly reliable for an organization to succeed. Examples given below will be the advantages for the implementation of an expert system: Providing consistent solutions It can provide consistent answers for repetitive decisions, processes and tasks. As long as the rule base in the system remains the same, regardless of how many times similar problems are being tested, the final conclusions drawn will remain the same. Provides reasonable explanations It has the ability to clarify the reasons why the conclusion was drawn and be why it is considered as the most logical choice among other alternatives. If there are any doubts in concluding a certain problem, it will prompt some questions for users to answer in order to process the logical conclusion. Overcome human limitations It does not have human limitations and can work around the clock continuously. Users will be able to frequently use it in seeking solutions. The knowledge of experts is an invaluable asset for the company. It can store the knowledge and use it as long as the organization needs. Easy to adapt to new conditions Unlike humans who often have troubles in adapting in new environments, an expert system has high adaptability and can meet new requirements in a short period of time. It also can capture new knowledge from an expert and use it as inference rules to solve new problems. The Disadvantages of Using Expert System Although the expert system does provide many significant advantages, it does have its drawbacks as well. Examples given below will be the disadvantages for the implementation of an expert system: Lacks common sense It lacks common sense needed in some decision making since all the decisions made are based on the inference rules set in the system. It also cannot make creative and innovative responses as human experts would in unusual circumstances. High implementation and maintenance cost The implementation of an expert system will be a financial burden for smaller organizations since it has high development cost as well as the subsequent recurring costs to upgrade the system to adapt in new environment. Difficulty in creating inference rules Domain experts will not be able to always explain their logic and reasoning needed for the knowledge engineering process. Hence, the task of codifying out the knowledge is highly complex and may require high May provide wrong solutions It is not error-free. There may be errors occurred in the processing due to some logic mistakes made in the knowledge base, which it will then provide the wrong solutions. Summary It is entirely subjective as to whether the advantages of expert system overweigh the disadvantages of implementing it. It depends on the organizations viewpoint as to which objectives have the higher priority, whether in cutting cost or in producing a higher quality decision-making. However, in my opinion, the implementation of expert system is critical in providing the better service towards customers as well as possessing the competitive advantages over strong competitors. Cutting Cost VS Better Quality of Services If an organization is financially stable, the expert system is worth spending money and resources on, based on its fame and history of delivering many positive results. Though some organizations may have the cost-cutting objective as the top priority, if a wrong decision is made, it could lead to heavier financial loss. Adding insult to injury, the organizations reputation will be tarnished and customers may lose confidence towards the services of the organization. Expert System VS Human Experts Another main constraint of implementing the expert system would be the process of capturing the knowledge and codifying it into the system. However, an expert will not be available to provide his expertise around the clock. Hence, the importance of having the knowledge available all the time for critical decision-making far overweighs the difficulty that the organization will face in capturing the said knowledge. Humans also have limitations as to how much knowledge a human is able to digest and comprehend. As for expert system, it is able to store as much knowledge as possible base on its storage space. Hence, in terms of performance, expert system is capable to perform as good if not better then human. Implementing Expert System into e-Commerce System It has yet to be common for e-commerce systems to be implementing expert system to enhance its capability and experience for web users. There are still not many web developers willing to embed an expert system into their e-commerce system, mainly due to its difficulty in the knowledge engineering process to codify the human expertise. Yet, it is plausible to have a less complex expert system embedded in an e-commerce system to aid customers make decisions. The appropriate inference technique to be used in an e-commerce system will be forward chaining method, since customers will be providing part by part of data which will then be compared with the rule base to finally draw a conclusion. Providing questionnaires Through forward chaining method, the properly organized questionnaires will be able to obtain parts of small information from customers who couldnt make their decision upon which item to be bought. Every single question will have its purpose in determining the condition of the customers thoughts and liking, and then the answer provided will be compared with the rule base in the expert system to draw a final conclusion. This data-driven method is simple and productive since the process of codifying the human expertise of recommending an item that suits the customers liking isnt that complex. Example of Questionnaire The questionnaire below is used for the purpose of attaining small parts of information from the customer and the answers provided will be compared to the rule base in order to generate a decision for him Question 1 What is your budget range? (Determining the range of performance from the desktop) A. < RM 2000 B. lt RM 3000 C. > RM 5000 Inference Rules If X budget is less than RM2000 Then X needs no NVIDIA graphic card If X budget is less than RM3000 Then X needs NVIDIA graphic card(s) If X budget is more than RM5000 Then X needs NVIDIA graphic card(s) with better computer accessories Note: If user chose < RM 2000 Question 2 will be skipped. Question 2 What are the games you mostly play? (Determining the graphic card requirements) A. Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games (MMORPG) B. First-Person-Shooting (FPS) C. All Inference Rules If X needs NVIDIA graphic card(s) AND X plays MMORPG Then X needs NVIDIA GTX 260 If X needs NVIDIA graphic card(s) with better computer accessories AND X plays MMORPG Then X needs NVIDIA GTX 260 and High Resolution Monitor If X needs NVIDIA graphic card(s) AND X plays FPS Then X needs NVIDIA GT 9600 If X needs NVIDIA graphic card(s) with better computer accessories AND X plays FPS Then X needs NVIDIA GT 9600 and Gaming Laser Mouse Question 3 How frequent do you download files such as songs and movies from the internet? (Determining the needed storage space) A. Seldom B. Often Inference Rules If X seldom download files Then X needs 320GB storage space If X often download files Then X needs 500GB storage space Providing Explanations Based on the questionnaire above, if a customer selects C, B, and B, the explanation will be given: The user selects NVIDIA GT 9600, Gaming Laser Mouse and 500 GB storage space. User plays First-Person-Shooting games which require middle-performance of graphic card and a gaming laser mouse to increase precision of mouse-controlling. User often downloads files and requires large storage space. If a customer selects C, A, and A, the explanation will be given: The user selects NVIDIA GTX 260, High Resolution Monitor and 320GB storage space. User plays MMORPG which require high-performance of graphic card and a high resolution monitor to enhance the gaming experience. User seldom downloads files and requires moderate storage space. Conclusion To conclude this report, expert system is undeniably reliable in terms of providing reasonable and highly valuable decisions. Knowledge and experiences from a human expert can lead to the critical decision-making in achieving success. Yet, as humans have limitations in terms of how much of knowledge is comprehendible by a person and the possible fatigue of dealing with too much work, the expert system doesnt have any. As knowledge is a valuable asset to an organization, retaining the experts knowledge is critical for the future of the organization. The expert system can play a vital role in storing and retaining the knowledge from a human expert. This saves the trouble of having the need to hire experts within the same domain for years. The rapid change and improvement of technologies will gradually decrease the cost for implementing an expert system. This will significantly reduce the financial burden for small companies in deciding the implementation of expert system. In the business world, organizations often faced trouble in making tough decisions and overcome complex problems. Customers often require computerized systems to support their decision-making. All these criteria can be met with the implementation of the expert system.

Amendments of Public Entertainments and Meetings Act (PMA)

Amendments of Public Entertainments and Meetings Act (PMA) To whom it may concern, As a dutiful Singaporean citizen who is deeply concerned with the tidings of our local arts industry, I am writing in to exhort the Media Development Authority (MDA) to review the proposed amendments of the Public Entertainments and Meetings Act (PEMA) that was released on May 12th 2014. I also refer to Ms. Corrie Tan’s article titled, â€Å"Art of Censorship in Singapore† (The Straits Times, 7 June 2014). I understand that the aforementioned proposition seeks to establish a â€Å"co-regulatory partnership† with local art practitioners by â€Å"empowering arts entertainment event organisers to classify their own performances whilst adhering to community standards and expectations† (MDA, 2014a). Consequently, a new Arts Term Licensing Scheme which mandates the obligatory training of individual artists from local art companies by the MDA as qualified â€Å"content assessors† for â€Å"self-classification† has been edict. Whilst the general outlook of the said proposal may be well meaning in nature as it confers a window peek to MDA’s progressive shift toward the relegation of some of its authority over content classification to its relevant communities (The Straits Times, 10 June 2014), in this case, the arts to local art practitioners, a closer examination upon the various stratums underlying the scheme has left me exceedingly troubled as many fundamental assumptions rooted in its conception, albeit seemingly benign on paper, remains deeply problematic in both practice as well as in spirit. Accordingly, I note that the concepts of â€Å"self-classification†, â€Å"co-regulation†, and â€Å"empowerment† of the local arts industry as posited in the new scheme, falls on a highly erroneous continuum of prevarication as they have not been veritably demonstrated. The notion of â€Å"self-classification† suggests that local art practitioners are granted with an autonomous, free-willed, and imperative role of contribution in the development and undertaking of the classification guidelines. Yet, such has been reflected otherwise in practice as the â€Å"classification† of art works remain subjugated to the prescribed criterions solely ordained by the MDA, without assembling any prior consultations or discussions with art practitioners (Arts Engage, 2014a). In addition, â€Å"self-classification† implies the absence of censorship wherein art works merely follow a catalogue of classification ratings and are never subjected to prohibition. However, the â€Å"Not Allowed for Ratings† category (MDA, 2014c) – in other words, a euphemism for censorship – runs contradictory to the idea of â€Å"self-classification†. It seems that this new scheme by MDA is but a reinstatement of the same old perilous template of censorship in Singapore where authorities are conceived as the unequivocal â€Å"arbiters of tastes† (McGuigan, 1996), rather than trusting artists to be ethically, morally, or socially responsible, and that of my fellow Singaporeans’ capacity to judge an art work critically. Under the principles of classification published in the 2010 report by the Censorship Review Committee (CRC Report, 2010), it was stated that â€Å"classification boundaries must be set according to community standards determined via an engagement process involving the regulator, community, and the industry.† This suggests the presence of an open, transparent, and inclusive process of engagement amongst artists, authorities, and members of the public to determine the perimeters of classification – as in tandem with MDA’s ideals of â€Å"consultation† and working closely with â€Å"expertise and perspectives of a wide spectrum of society† (MDA, 2014b) and the purported notion of â€Å"co-regulation†. However, this is not reflected in truth as the new Arts Term Licensing Scheme which edicts artists to be trained by the MDA as â€Å"qualified content assessors† is but a guise of the state policing the arts by proxy as these â€Å"content assessors† are strictly tethered to executing MDA’s rules. Instead of creating an ingenuous engagement between art practitioners and the MDA where genuine partnership and shared responsibilities may be fostered, artists are merely subjugated as extensions of MDA’s censorships. This, I believe is not â€Å"co-regulation†, but a faà §ade for self-censorship. More notably, such a move resembles that of a â€Å"panopticon† surveillance (Foucault, 1977) with MDA’s pervasiveness at â€Å"disciplining† and â€Å"normalizing† artistic expression on both a macro and micro level by implanting seemingly innocuous â€Å"content assessors† within the heart of art companies – so that whilst MDA’s presence appears to be incognito on the surface, their regulations still remain executed with stringency. Not only is this highly inimical to one’s artistic innovation and creativity (Arts Engage, 2014b), I believe that the fear of non-conformance would fester like an insidious wound that ultimately undermines the development of our arts industry, and on a grandeur scale, the growth of our society as a harmonious whole – as it would not be instilled within my fellow Singaporeans recognize and acknowledge the varying nuances when it comes to the interpretation of art (Chee Meng, 2014). With such an intolerant perspective that fails to conceive art as an outset for constructive discourse, how then can our nation truly blossom into a â€Å"Global City of the Arts† as our leaders have envisioned? Furthermore, it was acknowledged in the 2003 report of Censorship Review Committee that a â€Å"one-size-fits-all† paradigm of censorship is increasingly non-viable given the heterogeneous and ever-changing society of Singapore (CRC Report, 2003). Thus, it seems that this â€Å"new† approach by MDA is not only paradoxical, but terribly regressive. Additionally, whilst the MDA has stressed that the Arts Term Licensing Scheme is â€Å"optional† suggesting that artists have a â€Å"choice† in the matter, it appears that this is but a shrewd attempt by the authorities at veiling a false dichotomy to our art practitioners as they are essentially caught in between continuing the present regime where MDA issues all classifications and advisories, or that of a seemingly â€Å"different† system that is inherently the same as the former since â€Å"content assessors† are specially trained to heed MDA’s specifications. As such, I question MDAâ₠¬â„¢s sincerity at â€Å"co-regulation† and all of its supposed â€Å"ideals† of openness, engagement, inclusiveness, and transparency. In line with the Constitution of the Republic of Singapore which delineates that every Singaporean citizen possess the rights of freedom of speech (Attorney General’s Chambers, 2010) – in this case, the â€Å"speech† is expressed via the modus of art – MDA’s new scheme appears to be a flagrant violation of that democracy and with it, the concept of a â€Å"public sphere† (Habermas, 1964) where there an open space that allows for the exploration of ideas free from overbearing restrictions. If our nation is truly a democratic society, why then is the MDA imposing such harsh regulations of self-censorship upon our artists who simply yearns for art as a medium of expression, and that of mine, and my fellow Singaporean’s freedom of choice in enjoying art in all its various forms? By limiting the creations of artists, allowing audiences to be only be granted access to what is deemed as â€Å"appropriate content†, and creating a rift of division between â€Å"content assessors† and their colleagues all in the name of â€Å"public good†, is the MDA genuinely â€Å"protecting† social harmony, or is this simply a circumvented attempt at regulating a power relationship between us citizens and the state (McGuigan, 1996). In a similar vein, MDA’s espoused notion of â€Å"empowering† art practitioners by according them the prerogative in deciding the classification of their art works remains highly contentious as in practice, artists are subjugated to the strict adherence of MDA’s policing mechanisms by proxy and consequently, are renounced of any leeway to exercise their personal liberties. How then are our art practitioners â€Å"empowered† by the new scheme? Not only is this positioning of the Arts Term Licensing Scheme prevaricating to artists, it also misleads the general public into believing that the new scheme should be embraced unequivocally as it seemingly liberates our artists. As such, it seems that this assertion of â€Å"empowerment† is naught but a surreptitious attempt by the MDA at egregiously eluding all of the said problems underlying self-censorship as the scheme constructs a delusory appearance – resembling that of a â€Å"pseudo-publicâ⠂¬  sphere as postulated by Habermas (1964) – where decisions seem to be â€Å"personally† dictated by artists (i.e. public) and are seemingly â€Å"independent† of MDA’s (i.e. authority’s) intrusiveness. It is thus, disappointing to note that whilst the MDA advocates values of integrity (MDA, 2014b), such has been demonstrated otherwise in this case. More eminently, the scheme’s postulated idea that artists are to face harsh punishments including a $5,000 penalty for â€Å"non-compliance† to MDA’s regulations simply nullifies any notions of â€Å"co-regulatory partnership†, â€Å"empowerment†, whilst invoking an undercurrent of fear that only aggrandizes self-censorship. This, I believe is tantamount to regulative censorship of punitive state sanction taking on the faà §ade of constitutive censorship (Jansen, 1991) where it appears that our artists are merely â€Å"self-regulating†. With the encroachment of hefty penalties associated with â€Å"misclassification†, and MDA’s lack of clarity upon the assessment and appeal processes, what then is of MDA’s assistant chief executive, Mr. Christopher Ng’s claim that authorities would be â€Å"reasonable and fair† (Chee Meng, 2014) in the evaluation such a situation? Consequently, it also seems that this new s cheme has evinced upon an underlying distrusts of art practitioners within our society – as if artists are subversive individuals to be blot away. This, in turn, has perpetuated a fabricated sense of dichotomy of â€Å"artists versus community†, where in truth, our artists and art practitioners are also fellow citizens, parents, â€Å"heart landers†, and are very much part of Singapore and our community at large (Arts Engage, 2014a) . Instead of creating an unnecessary chasm between artists, the general public, and the authorities, as reflected in the present paradigm where the MDA is seen to be the â€Å"mediator† between disgruntled members of the public and a group of seemingly seditious artists that warrants to be â€Å"subdued†, it would be that much more purposeful for the growth of our nation, communities, and our people if we could see ourselves as a collective whole and reconcile our differences through an open, shared discourse, as opposed to mere coercion by proxy. Whilst I understand the imperativeness of MDA’s advisories in aiding audiences to make better informed choices, it is equally important to underscore that such classifications should really be meant as a general â€Å"caution†, and that delving beyond that into micro-managing the entirety of an art work only serves to backfire as not only does it impugn upon artistic integrity and the true spirit of artistic endeav our (Arts Engage, 2014a), it ultimately renders our artistic practices bleak and sterile. Rather than imposing such stringent aseptic rules, we ought to be encouraging a greater degree of sophistication and open-minded appreciation of the arts amongst the public such that it is imbued within our society the capacity to recognize that there is always more than a single â€Å"right† way in which the arts may relate to us (Chee Meng, 2014). If we could devote our efforts into nurturing a greater pool of art critics – be it in terms of adept professionals or greenhorn amateurs – in lieu of â€Å"content assessors†, we would then be able to engage in a much more active and meaningful discourse on the merits of our artistic output which I believe, would assist in establishing that much needed breadth of an open, receptive, and constructive dialogue between our artists and the MDA authorities, consequently forging an improved relationship of trust and respect that would be beneficent to all. Perhaps, a system of regulation that entails an open, consistent, and transparent process, in which discussions may be laid bare for public critique, whose jurisdiction are composed of knowledgeable, publicly-informed, and impartial members principled upon an arms-length approach from any political interests, and whose decision-making processes are periodically subjected to review by an independent body, would better serve to inspire confidence not only from our artists, but within that of my fellow Singaporeans to both the MDA authorities and our local arts industry, as well as across governments (Arts Engage, 2014b). This, I strongly assert is one of the many fundamental steps that we must take together if the MDA genuinely seeks to foster a â€Å"co-regulatory† partnership that â€Å"empowers† our art practitioners and audiences alike. Indeed, the arts should be appreciated in all of its variegated diversity, fluidity, and sublime nuances – that it is an inherent part and parcel of one’s intellectual and emotional growth that cannot be merely subjugated or predetermined by those contending privileged tastes or moral claims. Once again, I sincerely implore the relevant MDA authorities reconsider the proposed amendments of PEMA 2014, and to engage with representative citizen bodies as well as artists in another round of consultations before officially implementing the new scheme. I look forward to hearing from you, Thank you. Yours sincerely, Karen Lim.

James Madison Essay -- biographies bio biography

James Madison James Madison was born in 1751 and died in 1836. He was the fourth president of the United States (1809-1817). Madison worked for American independence, helped to establish the government of the new nation, and went on to participate in that government as congressman, secretary of state, and president. Madison's work on the Constitution of the United States gave him his best opportunity to exercise his great talents and is generally considered his most valuable contribution. More than any other person, Madison can be considered responsible for making the Bill of Rights part of the Constitution. His intense concern for religious and intellectual freedom led him to seek the strongest possible safeguards of individual liberty. In 1776, Madison was elected a delegate to the Virginia constitutional convention. Madison wrote the article of the declaration of rights that asserted the right of all "to the free exercise of religion, according to the dictates of conscience." In December 1779, Madison was elected to the Continental Congress. He took his seat with the Virginia delegation in March 1780 and after the first few months, he assumed a leading role in Congress. In the spring of 1784 Madison again ran for election to the Virginia assembly and won. He served nearly three years there, advocating the strengthening of the federal government. Madison was one of the first delegates to arrive in Philadelphia for the Constitutional Convention. Madison proposed a government with strong central powers, including a national judiciary and an elected national executive, and with authority to veto legislation of individual states. Primarily, Madison sought to provide the central government "with positive and complete autho... ...y, along with statesmen John Quincy Adams and Albert Gallatin, to hold peace talks with the British at Ghent, Belgium. On his instructions they negotiated the Treaty of Ghent, which was signed on December 24, 1814. The primary concession Madison won was surrender by Britain of American territory captured during the war. A growing prosperity and a spirit of expansion in the United States marked the final two years of Madison's presidency. Madison himself appeared to be swept along by the nationalistic feeling of the times. Although he persisted in a strict interpretation of federal powers under the Constitution, he felt it appropriate now to sign into law several pieces of legislation he had vigorously fought against in earlier years. Among these were a bill creating a national bank and a tariff act designed to protect American industries from foreign competition.